Smeal Update: September 17, 2021

Marcinek gift to support faculty diversity in Smeal

Penn State alumnus David “Dave" Marcinek and his wife, Susan, have made a $500,000 commitment to create the David and Susan Marcinek Early Career Professorship in the Smeal College of Business. Read the story.

Wallace joins Smeal IRES Advisory Board Executive Committee

The Penn State Smeal College of Business has named Matthew Wallace as the newest member of the college’s Institute for Real Estate Studies Advisory Board Executive Committee. Read the story.

Diversity Enhancement Programs plans open house

The Diversity Enhancement Programs team invites the Smeal community to drop in from 2-5 p.m. Sept. 28 for an open house celebrating its new space in 204 Business Building.

Do you know someone who rocks? Nominate them!

Each month the Smeal Staff Advisory Committee names a You Rock! Award recipient. The honoree for September is Renee Ford, instructional designer for the eLearning Design and Innovation Group. Congratulations, Renee, you rock! You can nominate a co-worker for the You Rock! Award online.

The Smeal Community Weekly Poll

Click this link to participate in this week’s survey. Results will be shared during the next Smeal Community Zoom, at 1 p.m. Sept. 27.

Questions from faculty

What consequences will students face if they fail to comply with required COVID-19 testing?

Students who are not vaccinated and those who have not shared with the University that they are fully vaccinated will be required to test weekly for COVID-19 throughout the fall semester, or until they share that they have been fully vaccinated. Students who fail to test by the weekly deadline will receive an email with a warning that the student will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and be placed under a registration hold, which prohibits future course registration, if they fail to test within the required time window a second time. Students who fail to test within the required window a second time during the fall semester will immediately be placed under a registration hold and will be referred to Student Conduct. Read the full FAQ here.

What consequences will faculty or instructors face if they fail to comply with required COVID-19 testing or other COVID-19 guidelines?

This document describes the expectations of instructors, researchers, and faculty members to adhere to Penn State’s requirements and expectations for reducing the risk of COVID-19, the process for reviewing allegations of failure to abide by expectations, sanctions that may be imposed, and the appeals process. When an academic unit head is notified that an instructor/researcher/faculty member is not adhering to health and safety requirements, they will verify the allegation and, if found to be credible, will have a constructive conversation with the instructor/researcher/faculty member. If the non-compliance continues, the academic unit head will again meet with the instructor/researcher/faculty member and make every effort to assist them with meeting Penn State’s health and safety requirements. Sanctions may be imposed. For subsequent instances of non-compliance, the individual will be removed from the course and, subject to a review process described in the document, placed on unpaid leave. Any decision to place an instructor/researcher/faculty member on unpaid leave will be reviewed within seven days by a committee.